I am afraid, too.

“Mr. Zhao, Ms. Zhou, here’s the thing—you don’t actually have to stay with us in the Surprise House. It might be a little too intense. You could just find a hotel nearby,” Qu Wan suggested.

Though it might be terrifying inside, the appeal was undeniable: three meals a day, a place to sleep at night, and a chance to earn money. It was tempting.

After a brief discussion, the two seniors decided to join Qu Wan and the others in staying at the house.

Sun Yuxin and Xu Jiawei, however, were visibly uneasy, whispering urgently to one another.

“Maybe we should go with them and stay there too. We’re almost out of money. If we stay at a hotel tonight, we’ll need two rooms, and we just can’t afford it. We won’t be able to finish the rest of our trip,” Xu Jiawei reasoned.

“Who knows what it’s like inside? If it’s like a haunted house, we won’t be able to sleep a wink—we might even get scared to death! I don’t want to go,” Sun Yuxin protested.

“But we don’t have the budget now. Unless we quit the show, our only other option is to sleep on the street. The crew won’t help us out—you know that as well as I do after all these episodes,” Xu Jiawei replied, frustration creeping into his voice.

“Why are you snapping at me? Can’t you speak properly? You act like I’m the one who doesn’t save money!”

“Sun Yuxin, when did I snap at you? You talk about saving money, but when we got off the plane, I suggested taking the bus, but you insisted on a cab—which is expensive. Then you said the little inns were too shabby and refused to stay there, complained about them being dirty, and in the end, we stayed at a hotel. Do you know how much extra we spent?”

“I did it for your own good! You make it sound as if you didn’t take the cab or stay in the hotel too. Now that the money’s gone, you’re blaming it all on me, aren’t you?” Sun Yuxin finally shouted.

The camera was trained on the pair, capturing every word.

The others glanced over as well.

Xu Jiawei turned away, taking a deep breath, trying to compose himself. Then he walked over to Qu Wan.

“Qu Wan, is there any chance I could sign up for this activity too? We’re really low on funds.”

Qu Wan glanced at Sun Yuxin, who was still fuming, and smiled. “Of course.”

In the end, Sun Yuxin had no choice but to join the group.

The tour that day had cost them entry fees, a necessary expense, but they’d managed to check off another attraction.

That afternoon, a bus came to pick them up.

Tonight, they would stay in the “Surprise” House.

Night had just fallen.

For some reason, everyone was a bit on edge. The area around the house was empty—only this solitary villa stood here.

A butler waited at the door to welcome them. He was an elderly gentleman with a kindly demeanor.

Still, given the setting, everyone felt a bit uneasy. Even his warm smile seemed unsettling in this context.

The production team, of course, had ensured the guests’ safety and had already coordinated with the event organizers.

After all, who could refuse free advertising?

The entire villa was built in a vintage European style.

The butler had even prepared dinner for them.

Sitting together at the table, everyone seemed a little anxious.

“Why does this feel like the last supper?”

“Is there anything wrong with the food?”

The butler smiled. “Don’t worry, everyone. The meal is delicious. After dinner, you can all return to your rooms and enjoy a rich nighttime experience, hahaha…”

Suddenly, everyone paused mid-bite, knives and forks in hand.

“Come on, eat up. You’ll need your strength,” Qu Wan said, taking things in stride.

She ate calmly beside Jiang Zeyu.

Jiang Zeyu deboned her chicken wing for her, mixed a dipping sauce, and from time to time, placed food on her plate.

[This show keeps getting better! I’m so excited—will there be a live stream tonight? I’m staying up for this!]
[Qu Wan has single-handedly turned this show into a horror movie.]
[Best Actor Jiang is so attentive! He keeps serving her food and handing her napkins. Honestly, my husband never treats me this well.]
[I have a feeling these two are for real—this doesn’t look staged at all. The details say everything.]
[Hurry up and get to the rooms—I want to watch a horror movie!]

They were relieved to learn there were no live-action NPCs in the house, so everyone relaxed a bit.

When it came time to assign rooms, the two seniors stayed together as usual.

Gu Siyuan ended up sharing a room with Xu Jiawei.

“So what about me? I don’t want to stay alone…” Sun Yuxin said, her eyes red and her voice sweet and plaintive.

Xu Jiawei replied coolly, “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to share with anyone else?”

Qu Wan stifled a laugh, bowing her head to hide from the camera.

Sun Yuxin’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears. “But now I’m scared to stay alone! This is a horror house—if something comes out at night, I’ll be scared to death.”

Gu Siyuan, enjoying her discomfort, grinned. “Well, we’re all guys. Even if I agreed to let you stay with us, my fans wouldn’t.”

[Hahaha, exactly! No one’s taking advantage of our Siyuan!]
[This is so satisfying. Sun Yuxin brought this on herself—she snubbed Qu Wan before and didn’t want to room with anyone.]
[Is she really hoping to stay with the guys?]
[They’re being too harsh. Yuxin’s a girl—how can she not be scared in a place like this? What if something happens to her?]
[It’s not like anyone begged her to come. Wasn’t she the one insisting on staying in a hotel before? If she doesn’t like it, she can just leave.]
[You’re all just picking on her because she’s got fewer fans. If you were left alone in a room, wouldn’t you be scared too?]
[Let’s try to be compassionate, shall we?]
[She’s just getting a taste of her own medicine. To put it simply, she deserves it.]

Sun Yuxin ran over to the two seniors, but they politely declined her request.

No one wanted to invite trouble or end up accused of inappropriate behavior by her fans.

Left with no other option, Sun Yuxin turned to Qu Wan.

Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Zeyu reached out and pulled Qu Wan into his arms. “I’m a little scared too. Can we go to bed early tonight?”

Qu Wan raised her eyebrows in surprise at Jiang Zeyu’s deadpan admission of fear.

She patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “I’m brave. I can protect you.”

“Alright.”

[Oh my god, I can’t stop laughing!]
[Jiang Zeyu is actually adorable—a six-foot-tall man claiming he’s scared and needs protection!]
[Anything to snuggle with his wife—Best Actor Jiang stops at nothing!]
[Sun Yuxin’s out of luck now. No one wants to stay with her. She brought this on herself; nobody actually likes her.]
[Husband, I’m brave too. I’ll hold you while you sleep!]